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Description
Experience professional-grade mixing with the Solid State Logic SL 4000. As a staple in the world of studio recording gear, this mixer is renowned for its transformative impact on music production. Featuring the legendary SSL 4000 E/G console circuitry, this mixer delivers unparalleled sound quality and precision. The SL 4000 is ideal for both seasoned professionals and aspiring audio engineers looking to elevate their sound.
With its intuitive interface, this mixer offers seamless integration with both digital and analog setups, providing versatility that can adapt to any studio environment. The SL 4000 is equipped with VCA group technology, allowing for dynamic control and flexibility during live sessions or studio recordings. Its robust build promises durability, ensuring that it remains a cornerstone in your studio for years to come.
Musicians and producers alike will appreciate the SSL 4000's ability to handle complex mixes with ease, thanks to its comprehensive range of inputs and outputs. The mixer’s precise EQ and dynamics control allow for detailed sound shaping, empowering you to craft the perfect sonic landscape.
Key Features:
- SSL 4000 E/G console circuitry for superior sound quality
- VCA group technology for advanced dynamic control
- Intuitive interface compatible with digital and analog setups
- Extensive inputs and outputs for versatile connectivity
- Precise EQ and dynamics control for detailed sound shaping
- Robust build designed for durability and long-term use
Videos
Chad B
The SSL 4000 Recording Console - Part 1 - The Channel Strip Tutorial
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Solid State Logic SL 4000.
Comparisons
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UAD's SSL plugin is favored for its midrange clarity and mixing capabilities, especially on drums and rhythm guitars, compared to Waves and Plugin Alliance versions.
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While similar plugins are available, users note that variations between emulations from different manufacturers offer unique tonal qualities, mimicking real console channel differences.
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The SSL 4K B is unique with no other emulation available, offering a warmer, vintage feel likened to a Neve console.
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User experience
Features and functionality
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The UAD SSL version now supports native use, relieving previous DSP limitations for users with Apollo hardware.
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The SSL 4000 channel strip plugin replicates EQ, compressor, gate, and filter functions from the original SSL 4000 console, providing comprehensive sound shaping in one tool.
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The SSL 4K B includes a preamp drive knob and a de-esser within the dynamics section.
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Software and compatibility
Value and pricing
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Users found value in UAD's pricing bundles, enabling acquisition of multiple high-end plugins at reduced costs.
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Prices vary significantly between brands, with Waves offering it at $30 and others up to $400, reflecting perceived differences in quality and features.
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SSL 4K B is free for UC1 controller owners, while the 4K G is discounted at $49 for UF8/UC1 owners.
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Use cases and applications
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It's commonly applied after recording and before final mastering, often used on each channel for analog flavor and dynamic control.
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The SSL 4000 is valued for its routing flexibility, supporting tasks like sidechaining, de-essing, and band-selective compression, making it versatile for various mixing needs.
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5.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 7 Ratings
Use it for nearly everything I do in the studio
Well actually I do not own a whole SSL console (def don't have that kind of money...) but I have a channel strip unit with 2 channels from the original console. I use it for recording but also for summing stems or entire songs during my mix sessions. I use its eq and comp a lot, but even if you bypass everything and just track something after sending it through this beauty you will enrich it significantly. Can't say anything less than "amazing" for SSL. It's just great
Artist usage
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Paul McCartney is associated with the Solid State Logic SL 4000 E Series Console #1 and #2, as mentioned in the "Keyboards & Samplers" section of the Hog Hill Mill Blog.
Tupac’s All Eyez on Me (1996) was mixed on the SSL 4000 and Dr. Dre, among others, used it regularly to put together his mixes.
"The studio has two rooms: Studio A downstairs, with an SSL 9000, where Kanye had a lockout, and Studio B upstairs, with an SSL 4000"
This is Jay-Z's producer talking about Jay Z's studio, Roc the Mic, and the equipment they use in it
The studio also recently acquired an SSL 4040G console, which has been commissioned in Studio A. Purchased through Primal Gear in Nashville, the console’s former owner is Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen.
"An SSL is my favorite board. Not to say I don't like Neve or API boards, it's just what I prefer, I like an SSL 4000."
The songs on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me album were mixed on the SSL 4000 E mixing console.
According to Del Palmer (who would be the guy who would know this stuff...) Kate's studio was equipped this console.
In a series of Gearslutz forum replies, engineer Paul Arnold details how he used an SSL-E preamp for the recording of "Outlaw" and some tracks recorded at Soundcastle, adding that he later used an SSL-G preamp for other tracks on Me Against the World and Thug Life, Volume I. An October 26, 2017 All Microphone article also offers "For the majority of his recordings for Death Row Records Tupac would use a vintage Neumann U87. This would be fed into a Neve or SSL 4k preamp and a Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder."
Gearslutz, paultools, April 10, 2009
I recorded Pac with a U-87 through a SSL-E preamp and compressor at Quad Studios in NYC for the song "Outlaw" from MATW.
Later, I recorded him using an AKG 414 through an SSL-G preamp and either the onboard compressor or a dbx 160 for other songs from MATW and Thug Life at the Enterprise.
Also used a 414 through an SSL-E at Soundcastle.
I wound up mixing some other stuff that was cut using a U47 through what I suspect was an LA 2.
Gearslutz, paultools, April 14, 2009
I remember my first time recording him.
I had worked for a time with a brilliant producer, Moe Z MD. we were working on an album for another Interscope artist, and Tom Whalley heard some of Moe's tracks and liked them. This led to an opportunity to do a remix of the Thug Life song "From the Cradle to the Grave". We did the remix at Soundcastle in LA and by the end of the week, Moe and I were in NYC with Pac. The remix replaced the version that was to go on the album. I like them both.
Moe and I arrived at Quad Studios in the mid-afternoon, and soon, the room was filled with energy as Pac arrived with his nephews/cousins in tow. Upon meeting him, Pac would make you feel like you'd been friends forever! We wasted little time, as Pac had identified a beat from A DAT that he wanted to make a song from.
We tracked the beat from Moe's Roland W-30 and Emu SP-1200 as Pac rehearsed the parts with his family. I set up a U-87 and patched it into the SSL preamp, added a touch of the onboard compressor, and bussed it out to multiple channels of the Studer multitrack. Pac hit the booth and cut 3 quick passes for his vocals and some adlibs... about 15-20 minutes total. He could jump into character in an instant, and was very expressive as he performed his verses. His energy was contagious.
One by one, he brought the other rappers into the booth and coached them through their parts. This group was originally to be called the Young Thugs and then Dramacydal, but later changed their name to the Outlawz. We spent a few minutes recording the kid's voice in the intro, and then the Jamaican parts for the chorus and the end which was later edited off.
A food run was made, and soon everyone crashed except for Moe and me, as we spent much time and effort bouncing quarters off the floor and sampling them for the simulated shells hitting the street throughout the song. I spent a few hours putting a mix together, printed it to DAT and 1/2 " and we called it a day.
The resulting song is the last one on MATW, "Outlaw". I did a quick recall of the mix at the Enterprise in order to shorten he song and to make a few tweaks. I regret not raising Pac's whispered vocal parts just a little, especially on the end breakdown. His "narrative" at the end of the song is totally off the top and one take... the kind of stuff that demonstrated his brilliance.
Gearslutz, paultools, April 15, 2009
I loved the way he did his stacks, cause he gave each one something different... a little different expression or emotional twist. Every pass was a performance, not just another take.
I panned them slightly to the left and right and put them just underneath the main level-wise, but also did automation rides to catch certain parts, and might mult them off for a certain EQ or effect on certain words or phrases (like on "may God forgive me I was HIGH..." in Outlaw).
I also used a modified preset on the Eventide H3000 harmonizer called "Magic Air" as the primary effect on his voice for "space" in lieu of reverb, although certain mixes had plenty of reverb on his voice as well ("Only Fear of Death").
Throughout this YouTube video, Dumont is seen seated in front of the console and using it in points of the video
Album Usage
The Solid State Logic SL 4000 has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Solid State Logic SL 4000, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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